Pipelines for moving natural gas, oil, and other gases and fluids may be mounted inside tunnels, through wetlands, across shorelines, and other environments with limited accessibility to construct the pipeline. Depending on the location, such pipelines may need to extend for many kilometers through such environments. For instance, pipelines in a tunnel beneath a large city may have lengths of eight or more kilometers.
To construct such a pipeline within a tunnel, the tunnel may be bored with a tunnel boring machine (TBM). Once the tunnel is bored (or as the tunnel is being bored) one or more pipelines may be installed in the tunnel. Pipelines installed in such tunnels are typically constructed out of many pipeline segments that are welded together to form a generally straight run of the pipeline.
Unfortunately, the environmental conditions within the tunnel often impede the productivity of welders and other construction crews installing the pipeline. Environmental conditions associated with wetlands and shoreline approaches also impede the productivity associated with the installation of a pipeline. Thus there is a need for improvement to existing systems for installing pipelines.